So there was truth to what the peacock prince had said; death was very much a temporary construct in this weird little (maybe acid fueled) wonderland Malaise had stumbled into. Which suited him just fine, and although he made some additional notes to reflect on his own death later on, thankfully it didn't leave him much room to mull over what death would actually be like. This might as well be in a sandbox at the heart of the elementary school, or in one of those little play houses with spatulas forged from cheap pink plastic. It was a game, nothing real or lasting, with none of the ever present weight of mortality attached.
Except that when he climbed out of the hole, he was immediately smacked by the heavy weight of a shovel, as if someone was trying to compel him to return to his play-demise. Malaise's basic response was to hit back, and thankfully, even if the initial blow smarted, it seemed Mr. Morbid was a bit too busy with some more of those colorfully dressed people to pay him much mind.
When she'd gotten swallowed up by the giant monster rampaging through the weird bottle dimension, Etoile had thought that that was the end for her, that her short time as a Mauvian had finally come to an unfortunate halt. Lepus would have to find another Mauvian, which was bad enough, but that wasn't all. There'd be no more adventures, she wouldn't get to eat her favorite foods again... even worse, she wouldn't get to find out who the America's Got Talent Champion would be. It was enough to almost make the little cat cry and wallow in despair, to be honest… if she was still alive, that was.
Fortunately for Etoile, rather than spend eternity digesting in the monster's belly, though, Etoile woke to find herself in a hole in the ground, apparently in the middle of a graveyard. Cautiously, she made her way out, only to find what apparently was the owner of the place, who didn't seem too happy to have people rising from the dead... if the battle going on was any indication.
There was a mixed number of people currently battling, Mauvian and Senshi (and Nega) alike. A few used potions that seemed to do damage to the gravekeeper, as he was starting to look pretty worse for wear by the time Etoile got to him. Although she wanted to go back to where she had been before the dino rampage and look for Lepus, Etoile also wanted to help out, and thus, she attempted to tackle the man, just barely dodging a swing of the shovel. She didn’t know what his problem was, exactly, or why he would attack a cute little kitten like her, but if she could do something, then shouldn’t she?
Mel muttered quite a few unkind things about the keeper even as he danced back out of the way. The grump was attacking other zombies too so Mel had felt it prudent to take a step back out of the way and figure out his next attack. Biting was out of the picture but that didn’t mean he couldn’t use his claws or body ram him or even trip the dude into an open grave.
The question was just what was he going to do.... so many options so little time, and even less attention span to keep the ideas straight.
After thinking about it, then getting a headache from it all, the large cat just shrugged and decided to wing it. “Ollie, Ollie, Oxen, Free!” He shouted as he raced towards the gravedigger. At the last moment he sprang ramming his shoulder into the back of the dirty old man while crowing, “Tag, your it!”
Lepus was no stranger to graveyards- she'd explored plenty of them, along with abandoned (and possibly haunted) houses during her exploration of the spooky and creepy. Waking up in a grave was a new one, though.
She was pretty sure she remembered the dinosaur that was on the loose in the strange bottle world gobbling up both Etoile and Bernard, before getting stomped on herself, but a cursory glance at herself revealed she was in one piece. She resisted the urge to launch into some sort of chuuni speech, and instead jumped out of the grave with assistance from the boost her powered form gave her.
A fight seemed to be going on, apparently some old guy with a shovel that probably owned the place against a bunch of senshi (both Chaos and Order), and other assorted people and Mauvians of different factions. As much as she wanted to join in the fray, Lepus wanted to get back to the central hub, to wait on Bernard and Etoile's return, and thus she settled for lobbing a particularly heavy stone in the graveyard keeper's direction, before taking off in the direction of the now glowing gates.
Well, if she could come back, then she would hope the cats would come back. It'd really suck if they didn't.
This time when Acubens arose from her grave there was no hesitation. No panic. Nothing. She opened her eyes and leaped from her grave, not even stopping when she saw the groundskeeper skulking and attacking anything that rose. Instead, she tossed him a look, picked up a chunk of a broken headstone, and lobbed it at him before turning and running for the glowing gate.
It had been excruciating pain, for just a brief moment. Something about that nagged at her. It felt like something she had experienced before. A tremendous amount of pain---and then nothing. She couldn't put her finger on it, and she knew what it more than likely meant. She had felt it before, but she just couldn't remember.
For a brief moment as well, there was something else she had enjoyed.
Nothingness.
No turmoil, no pain, no confusion---nothing.
It'd been...nice.
But very short lived. The fact she was thinking right now meant just that. Still's eyes snapped opened, and she found herself at the bottom of a neat dirt hole, peering up at a dusky sky. Hm...had she died? If she wasn't trapped in this dimension, would have that really killed her? So easy, just like that---
Still sat up, but paused as she heard a commotion going on up above. It sounded like a fight. Well---it wasn't time to lie down yet, anyways. Still eyed the ledge above and teleported. She was immediately greeted by the swing of a shovel, and almost fell back into the hole, but managed to catch herself. Out of reflex, she struck back out at the figure. Out of the corner of her eye, and on her internal radar, she could feel some other signatures, too.
Lucyal
Offline
Ghouliboo rolled 1 8-sided dice:
6Total: 6 (1-8)
Ghouliboo
Feral Cat
Online
Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2019 10:58 am
Sweetite
BOSS HP: 0!!!! HP: 14/20 (-2 from boss auto damage)
Despite her superior's order to stand down so that she could protect her arguably weakest member (physically speaking, of course, she knew she was far more intellectually superior than her associates) but Sweetite simply couldn't stand by and watch, not when she could grab random objects to hurl at the monster or spray a barrage of pink feathers in his direction.
True, they weren't necessarily effective but at least it was something, right?
AMItotic
Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2019 11:25 am
ACUBENS is ENTERING HP: 38/40 Inventory: (1)Health Potion, (1)Damage Potion
No time. No time. No time.
Just as last time, Acubens eyes opened and she leaped from her grave with am an angry snarl. This was such a waste of <******** TIME and she was so ******** OVER IT. If she had to smash every bottle that she came across to get out, then she would, consequences be damned.
Acubens hoisted another piece of tombstone above her head and aimed for the gravekeeper who seemed to be vanquished. She watched the final attack be dealt and she didn't stick around. The piece of concrete hit the ground with a sick sound and Acubens made yet another dash for the gate.
The gravekeepers body falls with the attack from Sweetite, bottles fall from his belt and into the ground turning to dust before he himself, starts to shift into dirt.
With his defeat, there is a change in the air. The cemetery seems more....peaceful, relaxed. Death is just the beginning after all.
Quote:
You have unlocked the special reward for the boss battle! Congrats!
Thank you to everyone who battled! You guys did amazing!
Zircon was largely what people would call a solo operator. She was part of a team, yes, and was building one herself, but she prided herself on self-sufficience, motivation, and sheer fortitude. It was easier to survive when you only had to consider one person, and Zircon was, first and foremost, someone who survived--in spite of the odds, in spite of her wants some days. If a problem arose, she solved it herself. If she stumbled, she fell, and she picked herself back up. The last thing she would accept from another person was a help, least of all motivated by pity. Zircon was no pity story--she was better than that.
And so she'd pushed Sweetite to the back lines and forced herself to the front, looking for places to get a stronger blow in against this attacker. The longer he lived, the greater chance he would hurt her senshi, and then she'd have failed her subordinates yet again, just like at the obelisk. Zircon couldn't allow it--not when Sweetite was still too new, too rough around the edges, in need of more training--
And then, the Gravekeeper went down, and Zircon turned to blink at Sweetite, a strange mixture of surprise and offense bubbling in her chest. Both, however, were drowned by the sudden flush of pride she had for her subordinate, unafraid and resourceful. Zircon could have downed the man herself, no doubt, but not without first sustaining moderate injuries, which would have made it more difficult to carry on through the rest of the bottles and follow Aventurine. Despite only being a fledgling senshi, Sweetite's actions had a powerful and profound effect. In a way, it was load bearing, like suddenly Zircon had somebody to lean on.
Was this feeling...what Stillwaterite meant, when they talked? No, because Stillwaterite was a stupid trollop, and any point she might have had was poisoned by White Moon sympathies. Zircon caught sight of a pirate hat near one of the open graves, and her expression soured, but only for a moment. She forced herself to focus on the positive, and not costume party buffoons.
"Good work," Zircon called out with an approving nod, navigating around the open gravestones to get to her senshi. It would have been faster and simpler to teleport, but with the danger past she could feel the aches settling in and knew she needed to save some energy for the road ahead. When she got to Sweetite, she clapped a hand on her shoulder, looking ahead to the gates.
The strange man fell, and Still could only stare at the pile of dirt he became for a moment before she tore her attention away. She sought the source---the one who delivered the final blow to the man. Eyes zipped through the cemetery until they landed on two figures, one very familiar. One she had seen before, earlier. Zircon, and a corrupt, it seemed. Well, it seemed like she could go now---just past the two was a glowing gate that was compelling her to leave but---
If death wasn't permanent here then---
Oh.
A thought occurred to her
This would be petty. So. Petty. But now it was in her mind, and she was going to do it, anyways. After all, there weren't any real consequences for the action. Not while they were trapped here.
Stillwaterite teleported. She teleported herself right into the touching moment General Zircon was having with one corrupt Sweetite, and she did not hesitate. The eternal looked down at Zircon, and she plunged her hand right into the woman's chest, gripped her starseed, and ripped it out. Black eyes looked it over, curiously. It was an intense and beautiful goldenrod.
"What a shame." She mused to no one in particular. "That such a pure color would come from you, Zircon." Zircon's starseed dissipated from her hand, though. To die here wasn't permanent---so Still didn't stick around. The eternal corrupt smiled at Sweetite. "Good luck~"
She then strolled past, and out the glowing gate, before Sweetite had a chance to retaliate and more importantly---
Tired, slightly achy but very, very proud of herself, Sweetite's shoulders managed to lift and push themselves backwards as Zircon acknowledged her and her achievement. It was probably the most important moment in her entire life (at least, the most important one until she found Mr. Right & Rich, of course) and there was no Ashley around to spoil it, no handsome, bossy mysterious Lieutenant to bark orders at her.
It was just her and her General who seemed exceedingly proud of her, making the young senshi almost giddy. It was probably the lingering adrenaline still trying to work its way out of her system but her body was suppressing the urge to do a small little victory dance, right there in the graveyard.
That is, of course, until the woman in the large hat with white hair appeared.
Pink eyes barely had enough time to register that their special moment was being interrupted, barely enough time to process as she watched in absolute horror as the stranger's hand sunk into her superior officer's chest, yanking out her most precious life source in the process.
"What are you---"
Jaw slacked, her gaze transferred from the senshi to the General, then back to the senshi who gave a dismissive taunt and smile. Sweetite half expected to receive the same horrific treatment but the woman seemed to have other things on her mind as she casually made her way towards the exit, leaving Sweetite frantically reaching out to clutch at her mentor in alarm.
"G-General???"
AMItotic
Lucyal
Ghouliboo
Feral Cat
Online
Fiction1119
Original Lunatic
Offline
Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2019 3:37 pm
[Mlinzi] [Inventory: 1 Health Potion] HP: 14/20
The cat let out another woop when the gravekeeper crumbled to dust. "Ashes to ashes you bugger" He cheered and did a little butt wiggle dance before prancing over towards the gate that actually let him out of this perpetual twilight that was the graveyard.
He had things to do, challenges to win, and adventures to have. Being a zombie was all fun and good but he was starting to get hungry and brains wasn't really something he wanted to nom on. Fish would be so much better.
[Mlinzi is Exiting to the central hub]
Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2019 4:11 pm
Lieutenant Aventurine is ENTERING
It was almost nice to feel nothing at all before his eyes blinked open and air rushed into his lungs. The first breath hurt, in an icy sort of way. The second one hurt less but it took a minute for the rest of his body to figure out how to move again. Everything was a slow tingle, like a dead limb waking up after being stationary for too long.
Everything felt too bright but soft at the same time and while he heaved heavy, deep breaths, he made no effort to move.
He'd retrieved the golden bone, a prize surely, but then any sort of pride in his victory had been stolen when the dinosaur stomped on him.
He was going to lay there for a while.
items
Health Potion (restores 10HP) x 1 Attack Potion (does 50 DMG) x 2 Super Health Potion (restores 25HP) x 1
Zircon was vaguely aware of Stillwaterite's presence in the graveyard, a distant rain cloud on what was otherwise a celebratory moment. And then suddenly Still's aura poured over them, thunderous and jarring, and Zircon's shoulders rose as she stepped forward, once again putting her body between Sweetite and potential danger.
She never assumed that Still would be after her in the first place, and so she wasn't prepared for the sudden hand in her chest, having only the presence of mind to balk. Zircon's starseed had only been held a number of times, by General-Kings and Queens, and it felt violating to have Stillwaterite's grimy senshi hands on it. Impure. Wrong in a way that she couldn't articulate, except to stare at Still with a molten gold glare--
And then her eyes went blank as she was severed from her starseed, and both crumbled to dust.
[General Zircon is EXITING to the...wait.]
[General Zircon is ENTERING.]
Zircon awoke in her grave and her hands shot up to her chest, gasping for air. The...absolute insolence...to make such a blatantly petty display in front of her subordinate...
...Sweetite.
Zircon forgot that she was saving energy for the road ahead--she teleported to the top of her grave, now surrounded by a number of tombstones that all had Disappointing etched in stone. "I'm okay," she croaked, staggering back to the corrupt while she shook out her hair, snarling at the back-end of the pirate senshi as she made her coward's retreat.
"Death doesn't stick here," Zircon repeated, adjusting her neckscarf and patting down her jacket sleeves. "But if you're here, then I'm sure you know that. Don't worry about me." She looked from Sweetite to the exit.
"All the same, I wouldn't recommend making a habit of it," she added, brow furrowed. "The sooner we leave this place, the better."
She started for the exit, stopping to pause for a familiar flash of red in one of the open graves. She peered down, staring at Aventurine. "Ah. There you are," she stated, as if she hadn't been the one to get stuck dueling in a graveyard while her subordinates solved the trials. "Dust yourself off, we have work to do." And then she pulled away from the hole, turning to give the boy some room to climb.
"Oh. Sweetite, this is Aventurine," Zircon chirped, gesturing vaguely to the hole while she thought of ways to murder Stillwaterite a little more permanently. "He came with me to assist in your rescue."
